Potential Problems With Lead Pipe in Historic Homes

Lead can be a serious problem in older homes and lead piping is often the most common source of an historic home's lead problems. Before the 1900's, lead piping was a popular choice for plumbing systems because of it's durability and therefore, lead pipes were often used in the water systems of homes built before the early 20th Century.

Why you should care

Lead is a metal that is harmful if ingested. The health effects of lead can be toxic and elevated exposure to high lead levels can cause serious damage to the brain, kidneys, the nervous system, and to red blood cells. Children are often more vulnerable to damage caused by lead buildup in the body and a child's development can be severely stunted by overexposure to lead. Lead exposure can also cause serious damage to a fetus during pregnancy.

What you can do

If a home was built before the 1940's, it more than likely contains some lead in the piping, especially the main water pipe below the foundation. Lead solder on copper pipes can also be found in homes built after the 1940's and can cause lead to leach into the water system.

Unfortunately, lead cannot be seen, smelled, or tasted when dissolved in water. Therefore, the water systems of older homes should be tested to make sure that lead levels are in a safe and acceptable range. Home test kits are available, but for the most accurate results, testing should be performed by a certified laboratory. According the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), acceptable levels of lead in water are less than 15 parts per billion (ppb). If levels are found to be in the area of 15 ppb or higher, the EPA advises homeowners to take action to remedy the situation and to reduce the level of lead in the water system.

If an historic home is found to have high levels of lead in the water system, the best remedy is to completely remove and replace the source of lead. If an older home has lead piping in the water system, the only way to completely remove the lead hazard is to remove and replace all lead piping.

B.A. Marin is a contributor to ForSaleHistoricProperties.com, an online resource dedicated to all things related to ForSaleHistoricProperties.com historic homes for sale and ForSaleHistoricProperties.com historic properties for sale.